3. 1 John 1:1-4 The fullness of Joy

The Apostolic Witness to the Word of Life

Turning your Bibles to the book of 1st John. Hear now the inspired word of God. What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands concerning the word of life, and the life was manifested and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.

What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. These things we write so that our joy may be made complete.

Let's pray. Father once again as we look into your word our prayer is simple that you would bless the preaching that as your word goes forth they would accomplish every purpose for which you have sent it just as you have promised.

We pray this in Jesus name, amen. Please be seated. I don't know about you but it seems that Christmas came awfully fast this year. The seasons just seem to be flying by, but in one respect that's okay with me because I really love the Christmas season.

Of course this is a special time for Christians as we turn our attention to the advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but it does seem that society in general is more festive and in some ways even nicer, more polite this time of year, and as some have pointed out even non-believers are singing Christmas hymns in public places.

It does seem that people are more apt to speak about spiritual things than at other times of the year, doesn't it? One of my favorite Christmas hymns, we just sang it, Joy to the World by Isaac Watts.

Just listen to some of the words of Joy to the World. Joy to the world the Lord is come, let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing. That's being played in the malls and all over the place on the radios this time of year.

This concept of joy, unfortunately, is not one that is often spoken of outside of the Christmas season. The second stanza continues on the theme of joy. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns. Let all their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy.

How can you not be filled with joy with a song that has such a positive, and I know the redundancy, a joyful message? But listen to the third stanza. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground.

He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. There's a sermon in that verse right there. Perhaps that's why some popular performances from some very well-known stars, when they sing joy to the earth, they eliminate the third verse and they repeat the fourth verse.

I guess sin is not a suitable topic to address at Christmastime, just joy. But what is joy? The dictionary defines joy as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness, but I think that definition falls far short of the biblical concept.

Because based upon that definition, a person's joy will fluctuate based upon the circumstances that he's in. When things are going well, you experience joy. When things are going badly, not so much joy.

But is that what the Bible says about joy? The Bible addresses the subject of joy in some fashion right from Genesis to Revelation. The book is riddled with the concept of joy. In fact, the mere fact that joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit tells us that these secular definitions will never give us the full picture.

The Joy of the Lord in John and the Gospels

Now we are introduced to this topic in the Apostle John's first epistle, after introducing Jesus Christ as the living, eternal, and incarnate Word. In what we have called a preface or an introduction to this epistle, John says this in verse 4, these things we write so that our joy may be made complete.

Hmm. When John says our joy, he means collectively his joy in conjunction with the recipients of the letter and the joy of the Lord. Now how do we know that? Well, look at the context starting in verse 3.

John says, what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also so that you too may have fellowship with us and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Notice, joy is connected to fellowship, not just with the church but with the triune God.

Since our joy is fashioned after the joy of the Lord, that is where we must begin our study. So let's look at this concept. What is the joy of the Lord? Well, even though we know that John is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, don't discount his personal experience with our Lord.

Remember, John was mentored personally by Jesus for three and a half years. Now how is that for a college degree, to be under the Master day and night for three and a half years? John was with Jesus during his discourse on discipleship, which is related to us in chapter 15 of his gospel.

He says this, these are the words of Jesus, verse 11 of chapter 15 of the book of John, these things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. Notice there's a relationship between the joy of the Lord and the joy being made full in the disciples.

And notice the similarity of the words used by Christ and by John, fullness, completeness of joy. In fact, a little bit later in the same discourse, in John chapter 16, Jesus says, until now you have asked for nothing in my name.

Ask and you will receive so that your joy may be made full. These are instructions from Jesus to his disciples. He says one of the reasons they should be diligent in prayer is so that their joy would be made full.

Obviously fullness of joy is something to be desired by the Christian, and by the way, joy is connected to assurance, which is one of the main themes of this book. We also see the importance of this in the high priestly prayer of Jesus.

Now this is where he's praying to his Heavenly Father, and listen to what Jesus says in verse 13 of John chapter 17, but now I come to you and these things I speak in the world so that they may have my joy made full in themselves.

If you have any doubt that the joy of the Christian is the joy of the Lord and that it should be something that is manifested in him, this prayer should settle it. Jesus prays that his joy would be made full in the disciples.

Now let's put this into perspective. When is Jesus praying this prayer? He's praying it on the eve of his passion. A few moments later from this prayer he will be praying again, but this time he will be sweating profusely and in agony, and then a few more moments after that he will be crying out from the cross itself, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?

And during this time of passion and agony, he prays that the disciples would be filled with joy. That's got to give you a little different perspective on this concept of joy. It's at this point that I want to introduce you to my new best friend.

His name is Robert Candlish. He was born in 1806 in Edinburgh, Scotland. No, we were not contemporaries. He became the pastor of St. George's Church in the mid -19th century, and he comments on this type of joy.

He writes, and I quote, are the bloody sweat and the cry as of one forsaken by his God signs of joy? Is that the joy, his joy, which he prays that they may have fulfilled in themselves? At all events, his joy, whatever it may be, must be of such a nature that it can be compatible with experience as dark as that.

For his joy must be like himself, the same yesterday, today, and forever. It cannot be fluctuating and intermittent. It cannot be merely one of many emotions alternating or taking its turn with others, fitfully swaying the mind at intervals according to the shifting breezes of the outer atmosphere.

His joy must partake of his own unchangeableness as the eternal son of the Father. It is true, he says, that in his human nature and in his earthly history, he is subjected to impulses and influence of this checkered human and earthly scene.

Nor is he unsusceptible of such impressions. But, and that's an important word, but beneath all these real joy must be deeper far, a fathomless infinite ocean whose calm repose the wildest agitations of the upper sea cannot reach or ruffle.

Candice said it so well, in his humanity Jesus exhibited a range of emotions but in his deity as the immutable and impassable God, his joy is unchanging and yes it is infinite. Let's look at some examples from scripture that would demonstrate that he exhibits this type of joy.

The first one doesn't even use the word joy but I believe it it's implied in the actions of Jesus. The one I'm referring to is when he was 12 years old and he accompanied his parents to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

And then on the return trip you can remember that they couldn't find him in the caravan. So they returned to Jerusalem and lo and behold they find him in the temple listening and asking questions of the rabbis.

Now his parents are upset, they had been worried. After all, three days had passed and when they confront him he calmly replies, why is it you were looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my father's house?

What drew him to the temple? I submit to you that it was the joy of the Lord. The intimate fellowship that he had with the father explains the joy he had with him that drew him to be about his father's business.

Notice those words, I had to be in my father's house. Those words were not those of a stoic or a simply rote obedience. These were the words of joy of being in fellowship with the father. I had to be there.

Let me just ask the question, this isn't even in my notes, this is just off the top of my head. I know I get in trouble when I do that. Do you have that same feeling Sunday morning? I can't wait to be in the congregation of the fellowship of the saints where we can worship God.

It should be the same. Just as Jesus said, I had to be in my father's house. Second time we see this joy in practice is at Jacob's well in of all places. That's where Jesus has the encounter with the Samaritan woman.

The Apostles return from getting supplies. Remember Jesus had sent them into the city to get supplies and that's when he has this encounter with the Samaritan woman and you know the encounter he has, you know, give me a glass of water, you know, etc, etc.

I'll pick up the reading in verse 31 of John chapter 4 and John says, meanwhile the disciples were urging him saying, Rabbi eat. I loved, I just marveled at the teaching of Jesus, how he can take anything that's going on around him and turn it into a teachable moment.

He said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples were saying to one another, no one brought him anything to eat, did they? Then to the point in verse 34, Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

There you see that concept again, this fellowship with the father. Jesus said, the reason I am here is to accomplish the work of my father. My meat, my food, my sustenance. In other words, and I don't think this changes the emphasis, my joy is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

We see it once again, perfect fellowship, perfect joy. The third example is more overt than the first two. In Luke chapter 10, this is where Jesus sends out the 70 on a mission to preach the gospel. In verse 17 of Luke chapter 10, they return.

I'll read, the 70 returned with joy saying, Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name. He said to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. What a scene that must have been.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing will injure you. Obviously, their joy was predicated by their success in ministry.

Jesus takes nothing away from that, but redirects their thinking. Look at verse 20. Jesus says, nevertheless do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.

And then he continues, at that very time he rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit and said, I praise you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.

Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in your sight. See, the exterior joy that the disciples experienced, it was good, but the inner joy of the Lord was the best. You see, that inner joy is not based on what you do, but on who you are.

In his letter to the church in Philippi, the Apostle Paul Oh, by the way, that theme of that whole letter is joy. Paul addresses outward circumstances. He says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

He says, I know how to get along with a lot. I know how to get along with nothing, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And then remember the words of Nehemiah, do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

And one last example, and perhaps the definitive example is Jesus on the cross, as related by the author of Hebrews, where the author of Hebrews in chapter 12 verse 2 says, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.

There's a concept. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Joy, the joy of the Lord. The prayer of Jesus is that that joy would be made full in us.

Fullness of Joy in Christ and the Believer

So what is fullness of joy? Well, we've established what it is, what the joy of the Lord is. We've seen a few examples. Let's return to our main text for a minute. Look at 1st John 1 4 again. These things we write so that our joy may be made complete.

Complete, fullness, basically the same thing. But we saw that when John writes our joy, he means not just his joy, but through the fellowship we have, the joy of the Father and Son. What does that mean for us as believers?

Let's go back to the words of Jesus we looked at earlier. First in John 15 11, these things I have spoken to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. And then again his prayer, John 17 13, but now I come to you and these things I speak in the world so that they may have my joy made full in themselves.

In other words, Christ wants our joy to be full by his joy being made complete or fulfilled in us. That's the reality we must understand if our joy is to be complete. How can this be? Well, first by our standing in him.

The question is, who are you in Jesus Christ? Let me refer to my best friend again. Candler says, the position which he occupies in the Father's house, in the Father's heart, is ours as well as his. You hear that?

The position which he occupies in the Father's house and in the Father's heart is ours as well as his. It is that which opens the way to his joy being ours, and what opens the way to that is making our standing and our position his.

If you've come to Christ in repentance of sin, when God looks at you he doesn't see a sinner. Christ became sin in our place and paid the price on the cross as God poured out his wrath on him instead of us.

Now we are children of God with all the benefits of sonship that belong to Jesus Christ. That's a concept that I had trouble understanding. When somebody told me, some pastor told me, God loves you to the same degree he loves his son Jesus Christ.

Wow. Joy to the world. The Lord has come. That's the basis for him receiving his joy and having that joy fulfilled in us. The fellowship they have with him is an intimate fellowship. Our sharing his joy begins with our sharing the cross.

So Paul says in Galatians 2 20, I have been crucified with Christ. I it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me. So joy begins first actually with mourning. M-o-u-r-n-i-n-g. Mourning over our sin, knowing that it was our sin that put Jesus Christ on the cross.

This mourning has an element of joy in it, the joy of the Lord. Second way we know we have his joy, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul says in Romans 14 17, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We mentioned earlier but reminder joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit and by the way the fruit of the Spirit is a package deal, it's not a smorgasbord. You don't get to pick and choose which fruit you want.

Each of the fruit is manifest in some way and to some degree in every believer. That's why one of the admonitions of Scripture to the believer is not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit. Grieving or quenching the Spirit interferes with that intimate fellowship we have.

The testimony of the Holy Spirit is extremely important as Paul said in Romans 8 starting in verse 14. He says for all who are being led by the Spirit of God these are sons of God. Few have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out Abba Father.

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and of children heirs also heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with him so that we may be glorified with him.

Remember one of the main thrusts of this first letter of John is to give believers the assurance of their salvation. The third evidence we have the joy of the Lord is we share his commission. Jesus Christ came to earth willingly to seek and to save those who were lost but he also did that joyfully and just as the Father sent him so he sends us.

The Great Commission first given to the Apostles and and now to the church as a whole is evidence of our standing in Christ. Candlish calls the joy of the Lord the capital ingredient in the commission of the church.

See why he's my new best friend? And just as there is perfect fellowship and perfect joy between the Father and Son there is now the same joy and the same fellowship between the church and Christ. Remember what John told Jesus told his Apostles in John 15 14 you are my friends if you do what I command you no longer do I call you slaves for the slaves does not know what his master is doing but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard from my father I have made known to you.

Similarly in Ephesians Paul tells us that God has made known the mystery of his will in Christ to his children. All this brings us to the joy of the Lord and to the fullness of that joy. The fourth ingredient that that Christ described himself is that Christ described himself as meek and lowly.

Jesus said in Matthew 11 verse 29 take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. What a statement from the king of the universe take my yoke upon you learn from me for I am gentle and humble I am meek and lowly.

This may be one of the most important elements for no true joy can be selfish. So Christ bids his people to come after him to take his yoke and then he says for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Now that's an amazing statement. Reflect on the life of Christ. Did he have an easy life concerning what he had to go through to save his people? How can he promise rest to those who are yoked with him?

One of the old Puritans said that's easy because his is the heavy end of the yoke. He has done the hard work. He has done the impossible work and he did it with joy unimaginable. So here's a question for you.

Is this joy of the Lord possible here and now on earth? We've been looking at verses addressing complete joy, fulfilled joy. Is this a reality this side of heaven? Perfect unwavering joy is obviously only going to be realized in heaven in the eternal state.

But it is attainable in some in great measure during your life here. An important doctrine to consider is that of progressive sanctification. Remember we're saved definitively but we are to grow in grace and that would include growing in joy, growing in the fruit of the Spirit our whole time.

So your faith grows and your joy matures as you are progressively sanctified. And remember keep in mind again the main purpose of this epistle. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

Remember this is written to us who believe so that you may know that you have eternal life, that you have assurance of your salvation. And one of the factors in your assurance is the fellowship we all have with God, which also happens to be an important element of the joy of the Lord.

The Church as a Community of Joy

And that leads me to my third point. The church should be a community of joy. If the church is a fellowship of the faithful, and if the church is faithfully proclaiming the gospel, and if the members of the church are growing in grace, then the church should be known as a community of joy.

As a fruit of the Spirit, joy will be manifested as the body is committed to being led by the Spirit. And by the way that phrase I do not mean being led by emotions. Submitting, being led by the Spirit means studying the Word of God.

Submitting to the Word of God not just in daily life at home and in your private practice, but as a fellowship of believers as well, impacting the society that you live in. Being led by the Spirit means being obedient to the Word of God.

Remember, biblical joy is not runaway emotionalism. One last quote by Candlish. He says, and I quote, all misery lies in our judgment not being in subjection to our God's will, our will not being in harmony with His.

Misery ends and fullness of joy comes when we think and feel and wish as God does. Biblical joy is not mere excitement. It is not enthusiasm. It is not something mysterious that falls out of heaven at one time upon somebody or somebody else.

It is a calm and sober frame of mind suitable for all occasions. It can be explained. It can be described. It can be analyzed. And every true believer has biblical joy to some degree. And it should be one of the manifestations of a true biblical church.

Just as love is a test for the true believer. Remember Jesus said, by this they will know you are my disciples, that you have love for one another. Just as love is a test, so is the joy of the Lord. If that is true, then I have another question.

What must we do to realize the joy of the Lord here and now? Well, since we have acknowledged that you can't manufacture this joy, we must look to Scripture to guide us in our quest. Remember, every Christian has the joy of the Lord in seed form at least.

So what can we do? First, just as obedience to the command of Christ is a sign of love, so too it will bring about joy. John 15, 10, and 11. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.

And then look how he follows up. These things I have spoken to you. What things? Love, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. Second, by developing a fervent prayer life. Both private and corporate prayer.

We've noticed lately that our prayer meetings are slacking off again. That ought not to be. This church was founded in a prayer meeting. Prayer has to be the backbone of the church, and I would really encourage you, if you haven't made a commitment to being out on Wednesdays, come out on Wednesdays.

Even if you can't make it every week, whatever, you can come out. We need prayer, especially in what the church is facing in America today. We need to be a church that's praying. That was a little extra.

Back to this. By developing a fervent prayer life. John 16, verse 23. Jesus says, in that day you will not question me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in my name, he will give it to you.

Until now you have asked for nothing in my name. Ask and you'll receive, so that your joy may be made full. Direct connection between joy and a fervent prayer life. Third, by understanding who you are in Christ.

Jesus said in John 17, I am no longer in the world, and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father, keep them in your name, the name which you have given me, that they may be one even as we are.

Our unique relationship, our unity in Christ, the oneness we have in Christ, is one of the ingredients necessary to experience his full joy. And two verses later, he says, but now I come to you. He's praying to his Father, and these things I speak in the world, so that they may have my joy made full in themselves.

And then fourth, by being an active member in a fellowship of believers. John says in his second epistle, verse 12, though I have many things to write to you, I do not want to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come to you and speak face to face, so that your joy may be made full.

And the fifth element of developing joy of the Lord is rejoice in suffering. Only the joy of the Lord carries one through hardship and suffering. Peter says in his first epistle, but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice with exaltation.

And James picks right up on the same theme in his epistle, first chapter. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

So what can we say to these things except, joy to the Lord, the Lord has come. When things look bleak and dark and even hopeless, remember this, joy to the earth, the Savior reigns. And to where does this joy extend?

Far as the curse is found. These hymns are rife with sermon material, aren't they? You know, when I was in high school, I spent my summers working at a Christian camp, and there was a song we taught the little ones.

It was, I got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. And then everybody yelled, where? Down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart. I have the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Repeated. And then the last one says, I have the joy, joy, joy down in my heart.

And the way would end, to stay. If you are saved, you have the joy of the Lord no matter when or where or what's happening to you. That's just a matter of fact. If you're here today and you're not a believer in Jesus Christ, you can experience that same joy by repenting of your sin and calling upon the name of Christ to save you.

I was drawn to close by reading from Habakkuk, one of those prophets that we don't hear too much about. Habakkuk chapter 3, verse 17. He says, Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and to be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord.

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he has made my feet like hinds feet, and makes me walk on my high places. You can have the joy of the Lord. Where? Down in your heart to stay.

Let's pray.